March ABC Challenge: Tiny Lemon Thyme Loaf

I'm not a huge fan of lemon cake, but that keeps me searching for an excellent recipe.  I want the perfect balance of tartness and sweetness, with just the right texture.  This one isn't it.  But it is good.  Many people in the challenge didn't like the cornmeal, and I suspected I'd find the coarse texture cornmeal creates in harsh contrast to the light lemon taste.  So I substituted rice flour, which is finer and bakes up a little softer, while still providing texture.  The cake was slightly spongy, but light (although it became slightly tougher the following day.)

I found this cake to be a little too heavy on the lemon oil flavor and too light on the lemon juice.  The strong lemon oil could have been my fault; I never know how tightly to fill the measuring spoon with lemon zest, which affects the quantity used.  Since I quartered this recipe to make a single, small loaf, exact measurements become very important.  It's possible I packed the zest into the spoon too tightly, and while it would have been only a slight increase in the 3/4 teaspoon measurement I used, multiplied by 4 for a full recipe could have been a significant increase.  (Does that make sense?)  

The other change I made to the original recipe was to throw in some thyme, using a quantity similar to what I found in another recipe.  I'm not sure I could taste it.  It was very subtle.

Here's what I used.  Changes from an exact quarter of the original are shown in strikeout and italics:

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ tsp baking powder
1/16 tsp baking soda
4 teaspoons yellow cornmeal rice flour
½ large egg, at room temperature
¼ large egg yolk, at room temperature
¾ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1/16 1/8 tsp salt
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
4 teaspoons pure canola oil
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat your oven to 350°F; grease a 4x2-inch rectangular loaf pan.  (Six 4x2 pans would normally be used in place of a 9x5 loaf pan, but since I was making 1/4 the recipe, I would have needed 1.5 pans. I risked all by using only one pan.) 

In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add cornmeal and whisk together to blend evenly.  Using a whisk attachment, beat together the whole egg, yolk, zest, salt, and thyme on medium-high speed until foamy, about 40 seconds. Gradually add sugar while beating. Increase speed to high and beat until mixture is very pale and almost white in colour, about 5 minutes. The mixture will nearly triple in volume.

In a small bowl, combine oil and lemon juice. Whisk it with a fork to blend. Gently fold the flour mixture into the eggs in three additions, alternating with the oil mixture, beginning and ending with the flour.  Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

This cake rose in a strange manner -- straight up, with sharp edges.  No crowning or cracking.

Everyone else's loaves -- including the original -- were also fairly stout (which is why I was encouraged to overfill the pan.  I wanted a thicker loaf anyway.)  It might have been better with another few minutes in the oven, but it wasn't noticeably under baked. (I'm never quite sure how to adjust for different sized pans.)

Conclusion:  This was good, with a nice texture.  The sweetness level was good, but it would have benefited from a light, tangy glaze for a pleasant contrast.

Original recipe:   Lemoniest Little Lemon Loaf via Scientifically Sweet

Quesadillas Salvadoreñas (rice flour muffins)

A friend and colleague was retiring, so we were having a little morning coffee celebration for him.  I needed something I could make easily on a weeknight that would keep until late the next morning.  These rich, little bites seemed to fit the bill.  (Though I have to say, I had to go to three grocery stores before I found rice flour!)

The recipe I used, patched together from several others, gave me mini cakes that weren't as decadent as what I had envisioned in the first recipe I reviewed -- precisely what I was looking for.  I would like to go back, though, and try that original recipe (from Global Table Adventures), because I think they would be more unique.  These were good, but everyone thought they were cornbread.  In fact, fine cornmeal would be a suitable substitution here.

Here's what I used:

3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup half and half
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) melted butter
1/2 cup grated, hard (añejo) cotija cheese*
2 cups rice flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons sesame seeds, preferably toasted

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, cream together the eggs, sour cream, half and half, sugar, butter, and cheese.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt, and add to the creamed mixture; blend until well combined.  Divide evenly into 24 greased muffin tins, filling about 3/4 full.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes until they have a golden brown edge, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.  Allow to cool for several minutes in the pan until they are firm enough to handle, then gently remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Just like good little soldiers.

*Cotija añejo is harder and drier than cotija fresca, which can be quite moist.  You can substitute any hard, white cheese -- Parmesan is frequently included.  Consider the salt content, though.  The cheese I used was quite salty, but I still chose to add a small amount of salt after tasting the batter.  If you use a less salty cheese, you might want to increase the salt quantity.  Or not -- I'm sure it's delicious either way.  It's purely a matter of taste.

Conclusion:   Tasty!  Very easy to make, and the quantities are forgiving.  They're sweet and buttery, with a slightly grainy texture similar to cornbread, but very soft.  They smell cheesier than they taste, so don't worry too much about the type of cheese you use.  They would be excellent served with a plain raspberry puree.

Original recipes:
I started out with this one from Global Table Adventure, but was concerned about the comments that they were too greasy.  This one from Qué Rica Vida seemed a little fussy, with the separated egg whites.  Also, the directions aren't entirely clear, but it was very similar to the first.  This video with recipe by Francisca Bo sounded authentic, but had dramatically different proportions from the other two.  It seemed more like a standard cake recipe rather than rich, buttery little bites.  I also looked at this recipe by Sabores en Linea, but it was unnecessarily challenging to convert and I questioned the proportions.